B-4
Ethiopian Film ‘Teza’ Scoops Top
Birds Down
Prize at Carthage Film Festival
Ethiopian’s
747, 757
Haile Gerima is an independent ﬁ lmmaker of
distinction who has served as a distinguished
A Boeing 747 cargo jet damage. On multi-turbine
Professor of ﬁ lm at Howard University in
leased by Ethiopian Airlines aircraft the pilot would shut
Washington, DC since 1975. he is a Writer,
has been damaged during down the engine to keep
Producer, Director, and Editor take off after birds ﬂ ew into damage to a minimum as
(photo,Tunisian culture minister Abderraouf Basti
its engine. The cargo plane most airliners can safely ﬂ y
and Ethiopian director Haile GerimaHaile )
scheduled to ﬂ y to Brussels, on one engine.
Belgium, on October 22, The engines of the plane
2008, was loaded with encountered bird strike
ﬂ ower exports. are severely damaged and
Due to this accident, a would incur considerable
considerable amount repair costs for the state-
Ethiopian ﬁ lm “Teza”
special jury award at this and project workshops. it was the ﬁ rst Ethiopian
of ﬂ owers have been owned ﬂ ag carrier. Ever
scooped four main awards
year’s Venice Film Festival. Other festival winners ﬁ lm to be consecrated since
damaged. At present, since the ﬁ rst cargo charter
at the 22nd annual Carthage
“I’m happy and grateful included “Yellow House” the launch of the JCC in
Ethiopian Airlines operation was launched to
Film Festival, including the
for my beautiful and by Algerian director Amor 1966. It was the ﬁ lms second
and the Horticulture Nairobi in 1946, and with
coveted Golden Tanit for
humble ﬁ lm,” Gerima said Hakkar, while the Tanit of to receive a prize in Tunis; it
Association are negotiating the current agricultural
its “modesty and genius”.
on receiving the award. Honour went to Burkina has also obtained the special
compensation payments export boom, especially
The ﬁ lm by Haile Gerima
“I’m also indebted to Faso actor Sotigui Kouyate. prize of the jury of the 65th
for the ﬂ ower companies to Europe, the cargo
bagged the top prize on
previous generations, to However, controversy Mostra de Venise, in Italy.
who lost merchandise on component of Africa’s ﬁ rst
the last day of the festival
director Othmane Sambane struck the festival when The Award ceremony ended
the jet. An ofﬁ cial from carrier’s business has been
in Tunisia, November 1,
and to the founder of the Syrian government in style a weeklong of ﬁ lm
Sher Ethiopia Plc, one of steadily increasing.
beating the Palestinian
Carthage Cinema Days, intervened to ban the entry screenings, debates and
the country’s prominent In addition to the utilization
ﬁ lm “Leila’s Birthday”
Tunisia’s Tahir Sharia.” of a short ﬁ lm, “Zabad“, press points. Abderraouf
ﬂ ower producers and of the belly space of
and Tunisia’s entry
The Carthage Film Festival, by director Reem Ali Basti, the Tunisian minister
exporters, was also affected Ethiopian’s passenger ﬂ eet
“Khamsa” to second and
which showcases Arab about two of the country’s of Culture and Heritage
by the accident. of B767-300 and B757-200
third place, respectively.
and African ﬁ lms, is held former political prisoners. Preservation, handed the
Bird strikes is an ongoing aircraft, Ethiopian cargo
“Teza” tells a story of an
every two years in the Palestinian actor Prize in person to Gerima.
problem the Airline is operates freighter aircraft
Ethiopian doctor at the
Tunisian capital. Tanit is a Mohammed Bakri won the The director migrated to the
facing as last week again on a charter basis. Currently
height of the Cold War
Phoenician lunar goddess, award for best actor for his United States in 1968; he
Ethiopian’s own 757 has Ethiopian has over 40 cargo
who comes back to his
worshipped as the patron leading role in “Eid Milad was a member of the school
sustained damage after destinations spread across
country from the West
goddess at Carthage. Laila.” Bakri stressed that of Black ﬁ lm directors of
birds got into engines. Africa, Europe, Asia and
under the Marxist regime
This was Ethiopia’s ﬁ rst the jury was not unfairly Los Angeles and professor
A bird ﬂ ies into the open the Middle East.
of Mengistu Haile Mariam
Golden Tanit from Carthage. sympathetic to Palestine. of cinema at Howard
propeller tube, it usually Ethiopian Airlines leased
in the 1970s. The ﬁ lm also
More than 250 ﬁ lms “We deserved the award, so University in Washington.
causes major malfunctions, two GE powered Boeing
picked up awards for best
participated in the festival they gave it to us,” he said. Gerima, 62, is known for his
according to an aircraft 747-200 freighter aircraft
scenario, best music and
this year, including 18 But it was Gerima’s reﬂ ection on the frictions
mechanic. He said the birds from Southern Air Inc
best supporting actor.
full-length ﬁ lms and feature ﬁ lm praised as of contemporary Ethiopia
would destroy the fans in based in Kentucky, USA,
“Teza” also won awards
eight short ﬁ lms in the a “real masterpiece” by against which he comes up upon
the front of the jet causing each with a capacity of
for best photography
ofﬁ cial competition. the president of the jury, his arrival, with his dreams and
severe damage as well as carrying 100 tonnes in
and best screenplay.
This is in addition to Yasmina Khadra. “Teza” disillusions, dramas and hopes.
major vibrations capable of November 2007. (www.
Previously, it won the
the video competition claims a historical place for
furthering the extent of the capital Ethiopia.com)
Somali Fighters Seize town,Impose Islamic law
our control will be ruled by from Ethiopia - the region’s
Islam,” Shabab commander military powerhouse -
Sheik Abukar told residents arrived to drive them out.
of Merka on Thursday, one The Islamists had brought
day after taking over the southern Somalia a
key port town without ﬁ ring semblance of stability, but
a shot. “We will change also frightened people into
the behavior of the youth submission by carrying
here.” out public executions and
Somalia has not had a ﬂ oggings.
functioning government This time, the Islamic
since 1991, when warlords groups are not united.
overthrew a socialist dictator More moderate Islamists
and turned their clan-based have signed peace deals
militias on each other. The with the government, while
battles have devastated the hard-liners are refusing
impoverished nation - half to negotiate until the
the population is expected Ethiopian troops leave.
to be dependent on food aid Many Somalis say they are
by the end of the year. willing to accept the Shariah
“We have no means and restrictions if the Islamists
power to deploy our army can deliver the stability the
all over the country,” government has failed to
Somalia’s Chief of General bring.
Staff Gen. Said Dheere told Islamist ﬁ ghters rode
The Associated Press. “We unchallenged into both
have, therefore, conﬁ ned Merka and Elasha after the
our army only to strategic pro-government militia
stations in Mogadishu and deserted, waving and
Baidoa.” smiling at residents. They
The U.S. worries that shouted “God is great!”,
a group of Shebab insurgents leaving a press conference in Mogadishu. Somalia’s Islamist Shebab ﬁ ghters on
Somalia could be a riﬂ es slung casually across
terrorist breeding ground, their backs.
November 12, 2008 took control of the port of Merka, south of Mogadishu, after pro-government militants
particularly since Osama bin “The Islamist ﬁ ghters do
ﬂ ed, residents told AFP. They said the insurgents had camped in the outskirts of the town overnight, blocking Laden declared his support not loot our property and
any reinforcement, before they stormed it. (photo AP)
for the Islamists. It accuses do not extort money,” said
al-Shabab of harboring the Yusuf Keynan, whose shop
al-Qaida-linked terrorists in Merka lies a stone’s
Islamic ﬁ ghters now Islamic forces came last ﬁ ght against the groups, Elasha, however, was taken who allegedly blew up the throw from the azure Indian
control most of southern Wednesday, Nov 12/2008, has pulled back from over by more moderate U.S. Embassies in Kenya Ocean.
and central Somalia, with in Elasha, 10 miles from some positions as part of a ﬁ ghters. and Tanzania in 1998, But others fear the war is
the crucial exceptions of the capital of Mogadishu. peace deal with moderate “Our ﬁ ghters have taken killing over 230 people. just the latest chapter in
Mogadishu and Baidoa, Thousands of people who Islamists. The Ethiopian the control of the area to The U.S. sent a small number two decades of clan-based
where the parliament for have ﬂ ed a bloody, two- regime says it wants to provide security for the of special operations ﬁ ghting.
Somalia’s weak, U.N.- year insurgency are living withdraw, but others displaced people” suffering troops with the Ethiopian “I am Muslim, my father
backed government sits. there in ﬂ imsy huts made believe it has calculated that under the constant ﬁ ghting, forces in 2006 and in early and grandfather were
of sticks and plastic tarp. an occupation of Somalia is said Abdirahin Isse Adow, a 2007 conducted several Muslim too, so there is
Islamic ﬁ ghters now better than having a radical spokesman for the Islamist airstrikes in an attempt no question that I prefer
Advancing ever closer to control most of southern Islamist regime next door. forces in Elasha. to kill suspected al-Qaida Shariah law,” Farhan Abdi
Somalia’s beleaguered and central Somalia, with The insurgents, who are In contrast, al-Shabab in members. Abdulle, a 19-year-old
capital, heavily armed the crucial exceptions of ﬁ ghting to enforce Shariah recent weeks has carried The Islamists’ recent student, said in Mogadishu.
Islamic ﬁ ghters declared Mogadishu and Baidoa, law in Somalia, are not a out a public execution by conquests echo events in “But I do not want Shariah
Thursday they will use where the parliament for homogenous group. Al- stoning - reportedly of a 13- Somalia in 2006, when a law misinterpreted by
strict Muslim rules to Somalia’s weak, U.N.- Shabab, which the U.S. year-old gang rape victim group known as the Council particular group as a tool
bring their lawless Horn of backed government sits. considers a terror group - and lashings of alleged of Islamic Courts took for taking power.” (AP)
Africa country back under Further complicating the because of its leaders’ thieves. over much of the southern
control. situation, Ethiopia, which alleged links to al-Qaida, “We inform you that from Somalia and the capital for
The latest conquest by has backed Somalia in its controls the most territory. today on, all areas under six months before troops Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7 | Page 8 | Page 9 | Page 10 | Page 11 | Page 12 | Page 13 | Page 14 | Page 15 | Page 16